Kathy Neal is a California businesswoman with significant management experience. She has also held significant state and local government regulatory and public policy making positions. Additionally, she is a non-profit activist who has consistently maintained notable civic presence.

Since June, 1989, she has been owner and president of Oakland, CA based Kneal Resource System, Inc., a firm which provides project support including strategic planning, management and staffing, process reengineering, and information technology services. Her client list has included large corporations such as IBM, ICF Kaiser Engineers and Laidlaw Environmental as well as the federal government, Oakland Unified School District, municipal water districts and other small to mid-size companies.

During the immediate three years prior to moving to Oakland, Kathy Neal was managing partner of 24K, Inc., a specialty clothing manufacturing firm in Los Angeles. She was responsible for business operations, administration and marketing.

For nine years as a Legislative Analyst for Los Angeles City Council, she was consultant to several Council committees determining citywide policy in various areas.

For four years, Kathy Neal was the State Assembly's representative on the California Integrated Waste Management Board, responsible for permitting and regulating all solid waste facilities and overseeing legislatively mandated waste reduction programs in the State of California. She chaired the Legislation and Public Education Committee, which directed the board's legislative program and oversaw creation and implementation of statewide education and outreach initiatives. As a result, Kathy Neal was a principal operative in attaining unprecedented legislation that eliminated duplication between two environmental regulatory agencies and reduced overall ratepayer fees. Additionally, she was responsible for creation and implementation of a multi-million dollar statewide public education campaign addressed to waste prevention. She was also the moving force behind an original public education partnership between the board, California League of Cities and County Supervisors Association of California, which continues to pay dividends.

Kathy Neal was also appointed to represent the California Assembly on the State Bar Board of Governors, responsible for licensing and regulating all attorneys practicing law in the state. As a public member on that board, she served as Vice President and consistently championed legal consumer protection and diversity in the profession.

Prior to that, Ms. Neal was appointed by the Governor to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors, responsible for administering 80% of funding and setting educational policy for California's 107 community colleges. During her tenure she held the positions of Legislation and Administration Committee Chair, Educational Policy Committee Chair, and Board Vice President. On that board she crested a statewide symposium on diversity and was known for always keeping the needs and best interests of students in the forefront.

From 1998 to 2000, Kathy Neal was a member of the Board of Commissioners for the Port of Oakland, responsible for overseeing a $1.5 billion budget and the City of Oakland's airport, maritime port, and commercial real estate holdings. She participated in directing the major seaport and airport expansion projects. She was elected Board 2nd Vice President, served as Chair of the Commercial Real Estate Committee and also served as Board 1st Vice President.

Kathy Neal was appointed by United States President William Clinton as a delegate to the 1995 White House Conference on Small Business.

Kathy Neal has also belonged to a number of other private sector and social service director boards. During her tenure on these boards, she generally held leadership positions. Additionally, she has a long history of membership in myriad civic and charitable organizations.

She has been formally honored by the Los Angeles City Council, California League of Cities, California Senate and Assembly and many other local and community organizations. She has also been listed in Who's Who in the World, Who's Who of American Women, Who's Who in the West and Outstanding Young Women of America.

Kathy Neal holds a Bachelors Degree in Political Science from the California State University at Los Angeles and a Master of Public Administration Degree from the University of San Francisco. She is a graduate of the Minority Business Education Program (MBEP) and the Advanced MBEP at Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business. Ms. Neal has completed training by: U.S. EPA in "Risk Communication and Public Involvement"; Executive Enterprises in Environmental Regulation; and, NASA in Training and Development of Small Disadvantaged Businesses in Advanced Technologies. Finally, she has earned a Certificate of Completion in Spanish Language and Culture from the University of Salamanca in Spain.